Baptist Press Stories for Sep. 21 2012 --------------------------------------- Chick-fil-A's Dan Cathy: We have made no concessions http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38756 Iranian pastor says God provided in prison http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38763 China report disputed of end to abortion policy http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38764 At chapel, Luter warns of spiritual battles http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38765 Mud houses compound Niger flood recovery http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38766 Grand Canyon U. receives Mass. property http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38757 Online dating: marriages, sorrows, precautions http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38767 CULTURE DIGEST: Gender-specific events banned by school district http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38768 FIRST-PERSON: Why every Christian should register & vote http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38770 FIRST-PERSON: The Gospel of Jesus' Wife? When sensationalism masquerades as scholarship http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38769 EDITORIAL: El Reto Hispano y Nuestra Parte http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38771 --------------------------------------- Chick-fil-A's Dan Cathy: We have made no concessions By Michael Foust Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38756 Originally posted Sept. 20, 2012 ATLANTA (BP) -- Following reports that Chick-fil-A had agreed to stop funding certain traditional family groups in order to get approval for a new Chicago restaurant, company President Dan Cathy said Friday the restaurant made no concessions and "we remain true to who we are." Cathy's statement, posted on Mike Huckabee's website, came one day after the company released its own statement saying that its corporate giving has "been mischaracterized" for many months and that it will continue to fund programs that "strengthen and enrich marriages." [IMGONLY=33123@right@200]Said Cathy, "There continues to be erroneous implications in the media that Chick-fil-A changed our practices and priorities in order to obtain permission for a new restaurant in Chicago. That is incorrect. Chick-fil-A made no such concessions, and we remain true to who we are and who we have been." Focus on the Family President Jim Daly -- whose organization supposedly had been de-funded by Chick-fil-A -- also has spoken up for the company. And gay activist groups -- who initially applauded Chick-fil-A's supposed move -- now are criticizing the restaurant once again. Chick-fil-A was facing a backlash after Chicago Alderman Joe Moreno and an Illinois gay activist group announced in Wednesday (Sept. 19) news reports that Chick-fil-A had agreed to no longer fund groups opposed to gay marriage, such as Focus on the Family. That alleged agreement led Moreno -- who had criticized Chick-fil-A during the summer for its president's comments [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38271]affirming[/URL] traditional marriage -- to stop blocking a new franchise from being built in his ward. In comments to the Chicago Tribune, Moreno called it a "big win." Media stories nationwide then gave Chick-fil-A another public relations headache. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's headline read, "Chick-fil-A said to change stance." The Los Angeles Times' headline: "Chick-fil-A promises to stop giving money to anti-gay groups." The problem? Chick-fil-A's base of support remains largely in conservative states, and those customers hardly consider Focus on the Family and other groups "anti-gay." Many felt Chick-fil-A had caved. Earlier this summer, hundreds of thousands of customers took part in Chick-fil-A Appreciation after company president Dan Cathy was criticized for comments supporting the biblical definition of marriage. Chick-fil-A's stance on values is well-known: It is closed on Sundays, and its corporate statement includes the desire to "glorify God." In the 24 hours after the story out of Chicago broke, Chick-fil-A's Facebook page was flooded with criticism of the new policy. "I'm disgusted that your faith is so weak," one person wrote. "You sure raked in the bucks on Chick Fil A day huh? So when do you start opening on Sunday? 'As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord'" Chick-fil-A released a statement Thursday (Sept. 20), saying that "for many months now, Chick-fil-A's corporate giving has been mischaracterized." "And while our sincere intent has been to remain out of this political and social debate, events from Chicago this week have once again resulted in questions around our giving," the statement said. "For that reason, we want to provide some context and clarity around who we are, what we believe and our priorities in relation to corporate giving. "A part of our corporate commitment is to be responsible stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. Because of this commitment, Chick-fil-A's giving heritage is focused on programs that educate youth, strengthen families and enrich marriages, and support communities. We will continue to focus our giving in those areas. Our intent is not to support political or social agendas." The company also released a document that had been referenced in the media called "Chick-fil-A: Who We Are." In it, the company repeats language from this summer and says its tradition is to "treat every person with honor, dignity and respect -- regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender." The Who We Are document also says Chick-fil-A "supports programs and marriage retreats to help strengthen and enrich marriages," which more than 4,000 couples attend annually. The document did not address whether Chick-fil-A has indeed agreed to stop funding certain groups, and if so, which groups. It's also unclear how the company's policy will appease gay activist groups, because marriage enrichment programs often are traditional-focused and biblically based and typically define marriage as between a man and a woman. In fact, the Human Rights Campaign -- the nation's largest gay group -- expressed disappointment in Chick-fil-A's new statement, particularly its pledge to fund marriage enrichment programs. "The truth is, Chick-fil-A is still donating money to anti-LGBT groups -- they are just, once again, using the language of their mission statement to deflect attention," a statement on HRC's website said. "... What that language essentially means is that they will continue to support groups with rabidly anti-LGBT agendas, but they certainly would never want anyone to think that their support should be taken as an endorsement of any particular political agenda." Focus on the Family's Daly said in an article at Focus on the Family's CitizenLink that he supports the company. He did not directly address whether Chick-fil-A was no longer funding Focus on the Family "Dan and Bubba Cathy are my Christian brothers and good friends. They and their company have long shared Focus on the Family's commitment to helping build strong and thriving families -- and they have in no way deviated from that deeply held and biblically inspired passion while working with the city of Chicago to open Chick-fil-A restaurants there," Daly said. "I feel bad the Cathys are having once again to endure media accounts mischaracterizing their values and charitable efforts -- and, unfortunately, I know how they feel. Focus on the Family has for 35 years been dedicated to saving and strengthening marriages, helping couples raise happy, resilient kids and encouraging and empowering men and women to advocate for God's truth with Christ's heart. And still, in stories like some of those about Chick-fil-A's efforts to expand in Chicago, we are described as being 'hateful' toward certain groups of people. "How is an organization that helps save one marriage every six minutes and helps parents navigate through a crisis involving their children every 90 seconds deemed 'anti' anything but 'anti-family breakdown'?" Daly concluded. "That's a question we would hope the media begins to ask with more regularity of those who disagree with us and with Chick-fil-A for bringing our Christian values to bear on the work we do in the public square." Gay groups also were upset that Dan Cathy was helping raise money for traditional groups. The Advocate gay website took issue with Cathy taking part Tuesday (Sept. 18) in a fundraiser known as the WinShape Ride for the Family. The money, the Advocate said, will benefit the Marriage and Family Foundation, which it said funds the Marriage CoMission, a traditional group. "Granted, the group's sole focus isn't on same-sex marriage," the Advocate reported. "The CoMission emphasizes lowering the divorce rate and making couples more satisfied in their marriages, for example. But even in those instances, the group has made clear it's worried only about heterosexuals being happy in their marriages and avoiding divorce." The Human Rights Campaign's website referenced the Advocate story in a blog under the headline: "Chick-fil-A Fails to Live Up to Promises of Stricter Donation Guidelines." --30-- Michael Foust is associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Iranian pastor says God provided in prison By Staff Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38763 TEHRAN (BP) -- The Iranian pastor who spent more than 1,000 days in prison simply for being a Christian has written an open letter saying Christ provided for his needs while behind bars and thanking those around the world for praying for him. "I have been put to the test, the test of faith which is, according to the Scriptures 'more precious than perishable gold,'" the pastor, Youcef Nadarkhani, wrote Sept. 8 in a letter that was translated into English. It was posted on the website of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ.org). "But I have never felt loneliness, I was all the time aware of the fact that it wasn't a solitary battle, for I have felt all the energy and support of those who obeyed their conscience and fought for the promotion of the justice and the rights of all human beings. ... The Lord has wonderfully provided through the trial, allowing me to face the challenges that were in front of me. As the Scriptures say, 'He will not allow us to be tested beyond our strength. ..." Nadarkhani was arrested in October 2009 while registering his church in Rasht, Iran, although he initially was arrested for protesting his children being taught Islam in school, according to ACLJ. He was charged with apostasy for supposedly abandoning Islam and later was given a death sentence. Nadarkhani was acquitted in early September of apostasy, but the court found him guilty of evangelizing Muslims and sentenced him to three years in prison -- then released him because he had already served that much time. Nadarkhani said he never had been a Muslim. "I also want to express my gratitude towards those who, all around the world, have worked for my cause, or should I say the cause that I defend," he wrote in the open letter. "I want to express my gratitude to all of those who have supported me, openly or in complete secrecy. You are all very dear to my heart. May the Lord bless you and give you His perfect and sovereign Grace." He said while in prison he "had the opportunity to experience in a marvelous way the Scripture that says: 'Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ abound for us, our encouragement abounds through Christ.'" "[Christ] has comforted my family and has given them the means to face that difficult situation," Nadarkhani wrote. "In His Grace, He provided for their spiritual and material needs, taking away from me a heavy weight." In September 2011, Nadarkhani was given four chances to recant his faith in court and refused each time. ACLJ reported one of his court exchanges. "Repent means to return. What should I return to? To the blasphemy that I had before my faith in Christ?" Nadarkhani asked. "To the religion of your ancestors, Islam," the judge reportedly replied. "I cannot," the pastor responded. Below is the full text of his open letter: "Salaam! (Peace be upon you!) "I glorify and give grace to the Lord with all my heart. I am grateful for all the blessings that He gave me during my whole life. I am especially grateful for His goodness and divine protection that characterized the time of my detention. "I also want to express my gratitude towards those who, all around the world, have worked for my cause, or should I say the cause that I defend. I want to express my gratitude to all of those who have supported me, openly or in complete secrecy. You are all very dear to my heart. May the Lord bless you and give you His perfect and sovereign Grace. "Indeed I have been put to the test, the test of faith which is, according to the Scriptures 'more precious than perishable gold.' But I have never felt loneliness, I was all the time aware of the fact that it wasn't a solitary battle, for I have felt all the energy and support of those who obeyed their conscience and fought for the promotion of the justice and the rights of all human beings. Thanks to these efforts, I have now the enormous joy to be by my wonderful wife and my children. I am grateful for these people through whom God has been working. All of this is very encouraging. "During that period, I had the opportunity to experience in a marvelous way the Scripture that says: 'Indeed, as the sufferings of Christ abound for us, our encouragement abound through Christ.' He has comforted my family and has given them the means to face that difficult situation. In His Grace, He provided for their spiritual and material needs, taking away from me a heavy weight. "The Lord has wonderfully provided through the trial, allowing me to face the challenges that were in front of me. As the Scriptures says, 'He will not allow us to be tested beyond our strength....' "Despite the fact that I have been found guilty of apostasy according to a certain reading of the Shar'ia, I am grateful that He gave the leaders of the country, the wisdom to break that judgment taking into account other facts of that same Shar'ia. It is obvious that the defenders of the Iranian right and the legal experts have made an important effort to enforce the law and the right. I want to thank those who have defended the right until the end. "I am happy to live in a time where we can take a critical and constructive look to the past. This has allowed the writing of universal texts aiming at the promotion of the rights of man. Today, we are debtors of these efforts provided by dear people who have worked for the respect of human dignity and have passed on to us these universal significant texts. "I am also debtor of those who have faithfully passed on the Word of God, that very Word who makes us heirs of God. "Before ending, I want to express a prayer for the establishment of an unending and universal peace, so that the will of the Father be done on earth as it is in heaven. Indeed, everything passes, but the Word of God, source of all peace, will last eternally. "May the grace and mercy of God be multiplied to you. Amen!" --30-- Compiled by Michael Foust, associate editor of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- China report disputed of end to abortion policy By Tom Strode Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38764 WASHINGTON (BP) -- It is too soon to say the Chinese government has put a stop to forced abortion, foes of the practice have said in response to such a report from one of their allies. All Girls Allowed (AGA) reported the end of forced abortion in China Sept. 12, but two other organizations -- Women's Rights Without Frontiers (WRWF) and the Population Research Institute (PRI) -- disputed that assertion days later. All three groups work to combat China's coercive "one-child" population control program instituted in 1979. AGA said Beijing family planning officials had ordered a ban on forced late-term abortions and sterilizations. It based its report on two documents from family planning entities and statements by national and local officials. Wang Xia, director of the National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC), called on family planning enforcement authorities to "absolutely stop performing late-stage abortions" and only "guide people to do family planning voluntarily," according to the AGA report. AGA acknowledged Wang refused to comment on forced abortions early in pregnancy but concluded "her insistence on using only voluntary measures indicates that forced abortion should not occur at any stage of pregnancy." Wang's order "is awesome progress," AGA founder Chai Ling said in a written statement. AGA's announcement is premature, the leaders of WRWF and PRI said in Sept. 17 news releases. Her organization "has no doubt that forced abortions continue to happen at this very moment in China," WRWF President Reggie Littlejohn said. "When the message goes out that this is no longer happening, it undermines the movement to stop it." PRI President Steven Mosher said, "Women continue to be arrested, aborted and sterilized against their will at this very moment." Mosher uncovered the forced-abortion practices of the "one-child" policy in 1980 while he was a Stanford University doctoral student in China. The Chinese regime has said for more than three decades the "one-child" policy is "entirely voluntary," he said. "[T]his assertion of 'voluntarism' is no more true now than it was when I saw women who were five, seven and even nine months pregnant held down on the operating table and aborted." Mosher has no doubts China's family planning panel issued the document AGA cited, but it will do no more to stop forced abortion than did a 2002 Chinese law that supposedly protected citizens from coercion by family planning officials, he said. Both Mosher and Littlejohn said the documents and statements from family planning officials are attempts to overcome bad publicity in recent months, especially a report of a mother without a birth permit whose baby was forcibly aborted when she was seven months pregnant. The story –- accompanied by a photo of Feng Jianmei and her aborted daughter in bed next to her -- gained global attention online in June. "Until proven otherwise, we believe that any rhetoric generated by the Chinese Communist Party ostensibly banning forced abortion is propaganda designed to deflect the heat generated" by Feng's forced abortion, Littlejohn said. "We need to keep the pressure on, not celebrate propaganda designed to take the pressure off," she said. Mosher said he expected Beijing "would engage in exactly this kind of damage control." "The Chinese Party-State, which is responsible for such criminal acts, has lost face, and is now trying [to] recover," he said. China's population control program generally limits couples in urban areas to one child and those in rural areas to two, if the first is a girl. Parents in cities may have second babies if the husband and wife are both only children. Couples who violate the policy face the possibility of not only forced abortions or sterilizations but of large fines, job loss and imprisonment. The policy has resulted not only in many reports of authorities carrying out forced abortions and sterilizations, but there also have been accounts of infanticide. It has helped produce a dramatic gender imbalance because of the Chinese preference for sons. In a follow-up news release Sept. 17, AGA acknowledged an "uphill battle" remains to overturn the "one-child" policy but said Wang's call to stop forced late-term abortions is "major progress" that is "worth reporting." "It's a step. It's the beginning of the end," according to AGA. "It means, ultimately, that God is answering the devoted prayers of many." AGA remains "as committed as ever" to uncovering forced and coerced abortions, as well as trying to deliver mothers from violence against their babies and them, it said. --30-- Tom Strode is the Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press. -- End of story -- At chapel, Luter warns of spiritual battles By Frank Michael McCormack Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38765 NEW ORLEANS (BP) -- Southern Baptist Convention President Fred Luter preached during New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary's Sept. 20 chapel service, his first speaking engagement there of his historic presidency. "My life has been turned upside down since this election on June 19," Luter said. "I never realized this position of Southern Baptist Convention president would bring so much notoriety." Luter said he has received phone calls from President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, a call from Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's camp, personal letters from former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and a proclamation from Texas Governor Rick Perry. "Then a month ago, my wife and I got the greatest joy of our life. We sat for 45 minutes in the home, at the kitchen table, of Dr. Billy Graham," he said. Reflecting on all the experiences of the past three months, Luter, pastor of New Orleans' Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, asked for prayer. "I'm just asking for your prayers for me," he said. "It's been a great joy, and I thank God that He's allowed this historical time to happen in my life, the life of our city and the life of our church. I'm just honored to serve this convention and to serve you." Luter preached from John 10:7-11, where Jesus describes himself as "the door of the sheep. ... If anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep." Luter first pointed chapel attendees to battles in life. "It could be a battle you've read about. The American Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg, the Battle of New Orleans that was fought not far from here in Chalmette, La., the Hatfields and McCoys, the children of Israel versus the Philistines, young David against a giant named Goliath. And for the younger folk in the house, East Coast rappers, versus West Coast rappers," Luter said. "But it could also be a battle you've been a part of." Luter said he can remember as a kid having to battle a bully in school who would take his lunch money every day. "It just got to the point where I was tired of this bully messing with me," he said. "Sure enough, I went to school that next day and that bully came up to take my lunch money. The bully said, 'Fred, give me your lunch money.' I said, 'No.' The bully said, 'If you don't give me your lunch money, I'm going to beat you up.'" "And I looked at that bully, and I said, 'Girl --'" Luter said as laughter roared through the chapel. "'I've never hit a girl in my life, but I'm tired of you taking my lunch money.'" Luter said after that confrontation the bully left him alone. "Many of you today have seen battles in your life," he continued. "However, in spite of all the battles you've seen and been a part of, I assure you today that none of us has ever been in a battle that would compare to the ultimate battle that's found here in this text." This ultimate battle, he said, is a spiritual one. Luter first pointed to what he called "the shepherd's provision." "Seven times in the book of John, Jesus uses this 'I am' term to remind His followers about His provision for each of us who are saved," he said. Those "I am" statements include "I am the bread of life" (John 6), "I am the light of the world" (John 8), "I am the good shepherd" (John 10), "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11), "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14), "I am the true vine" (John 15), along with "I am the door" in John 10:9. "In this chapter, Jesus is the good shepherd and those who go in the door are His sheep. He says anyone, anyone who comes through the door shall be saved," Luter said. "Not that you might, that you will. Not that it's a possibility; that you will. Jesus assures us that if you come through the door and come through Him, you shall be saved. And because you're saved, you can enjoy the shepherd's provision." Luter then challenged those present to look carefully at their relationship with Jesus. Is it possible, Luter asked, that some people struggle and ultimately fail in spiritual warfare because, though they're involved in church, they don't truly have a relationship with Jesus Christ? "Yes, you sing in the choir, but did you come through the door? Yes, you stand at the door as an usher, but did you come through the door?" Luter said. "I know you're in seminary. I know you're trying to prepare for your future, but do you know Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of your life?" Luter next pointed to "the serpent's plan," described in John 10:10. "A thief steals, a thief takes, and that's the serpent's plan," Luter said. "He's come to steal from you all the shepherd has provided in your life. He's come to steal your dreams and visions for your future when you leave this wonderful seminary. He wants to steal your hopes. He wants to steal your ministry. He wants to destroy your peace and your happiness." Luter said believers are often tempted to engage in sinful behavior based on a sense of secrecy or privacy. He said Satan will often tempt believers with arguments like, "Go on, no one will find out. Your husband won't find out. Your wife won't find out. Your church won't find out. ... No one will find out. You're in a different city. You're in a different state." "He has a pretty good track record of doing that in the lives of sons and daughters of God," Luter said, as he surveyed people from Adam and Eve, Noah and Moses, to Peter and people in the present day. "The Bible says, 'All of us like sheep have gone astray,' but thank God for the good shepherd who provides and preserves and protects His sheep," he said. "If it hadn't been for the Lord on my side, where would I be? He kept my enemies away. He let the sun shine through on a cloudy day. He rocked me in the cradle of His arms. Why? Because He promised to never leave us alone." Luter concluded with a look at "the shepherd's promise." In contrast to the thief's effort to kill, steal and destroy, Jesus says in John 10:10, "I came that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." "The serpent takes, our shepherd gives," Luter said. But he reminded those present that "abundant life" doesn't refer to material possessions. "Abundant life means life to the max. Joy that the world can't give or take away. Peace that the world can't give or take away," Luter said. "You may not have silver, diamonds or gold across your wrists or across your teeth, but you can still say, 'I'm blessed.'" Believers may not have every material possession, but the shepherd promises to provide everything needed, Luter said. "And He gave us the best He can give us, because ... He gave His life for you and me," he concluded. "Ladies and gentlemen, you can win the victory. You can win the battle, because of what Jesus did at Calvary." --30-- Frank Michael McCormack is a writer for New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. -- End of story -- Mud houses compound Niger flood recovery By Tess Rivers Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38766 NIAMEY, Niger (BP) -– Floodwater destroys, dissolves, stains, reeks, stagnates and displaces. For those with homes built of mud and livelihoods based on farming, the devastation -- and the time it takes to rebuild -- multiplies exponentially. This post-flooding assessment by Baptist Global Response partners in Niger followed the distribution of some 300 hygiene and living kits to families in two communities -- Sarando and Yonkoto -- after the Niger River reached its highest levels in 90 years, stemming from heavy annual rains in August. According to reports, rising floodwaters in the West African country have killed 81 people and destroyed 37,000 homes, affecting nearly half the country's already impoverished communities. In the village of Sarando, water destroyed nearly 95 percent of houses, granaries and other mud block structures, BGR partner Gabe Manor* reported. "It was like walking through a village of wax houses," Manor said. "Houses and other mud structures had melted and flowed away. You could not have sculpted a more pathetic cityscape." "It's like building a house out of Play-Doh and then squishing it," BGR partner Shadrach Black agreed. "We saw tin roofs lying on top of mounds of mud that used to be family homes." The BGR team worked with representatives from the U.N. and other aid organizations to "fill the gaps" in smaller or harder-to-reach communities. This level of cooperation assured that organizations were not duplicating efforts and ultimately allowed aid to reach more hurting people, said Mark Hatfield, who directs BGR's work in Sub-Saharan Africa. The kits contained mosquito nets, mats, blankets, buckets, soap, a kettle, sugar and tea. The BGR team purchased the items in local markets, allowing relief to get to affected families much more quickly than importing from other countries. But the goal wasn't just to provide relief quickly. The distribution was not a "come-and-get-and-go-away event," Manor said. "Our goal was that this distribution would be relational," Manor said. "We wanted to boost the work of Christians in the area and profile the work of the local church." While villagers in both communities were grateful, both Manor and Black admitted their own struggle with the inadequacy of their efforts in the face of such great need. "What does a blanket, a pot and a mat really give people?" Black questioned. Tini Magarie, a leader in another heavily affected village, put their efforts in perspective. Magarie thanked the team for providing what he described in the local language as "readiness." He explained that receiving things to be set aside for later use helps villagers "get ready" to rebuild once floodwaters recede. Black said, "Our buckets, mats and blankets represent hope -- hope and 'readiness' that when the time comes, they will rebuild their lives." --30-- *Name changed. Tess Rivers is a contributing writer for Baptist Global Response, on the Internet at www.gobgr.org. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Grand Canyon U. receives Mass. property By Staff Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38757 ALPHARETTA, Ga. (BP) -- A Grand Canyon University Scholarship Foundation affiliate, Scholarships for GCU Students, will receive a 217-acre campus in Northfield, Mass., from Hobby Lobby. Scholarships for GCU Students and the North American Mission Board were the final two entities under consideration for the property, a private school founded by evangelist D. L. Moody in 1879. After evaluating potential uses for the campus, logistics and operating expenses, NAMB leaders requested that the mission board be removed from consideration. NAMB President Kevin Ezell congratulated Scholarships for GCU Students on officially being named by Hobby Lobby today (Sept. 21) as the campus recipient. Grand Canyon University is a private Christian university in Phoenix. "We are very happy for Scholarships for GCU Students today and excited about the opportunities this property will open up for them," Ezell said. "I also want to convey my deep gratitude to Hobby Lobby for considering NAMB. Their generosity and desire to see this property continue to be used for furthering the Gospel is something I will always appreciate and admire." Purchased in 2009 by the David Green family -- founders of Hobby Lobby, the arts and crafts retail giant -- the property has since received more than $5 million in renovations. The Greens stipulated they wanted the property to be used by a ministry dedicated to furthering the Gospel in North America. Established by Moody as an educational institution for the underprivileged, the school was divided into the Northfield Seminary for Young Ladies in Northfield, Mass., and the Mount Hermon School for Boys in Mount Hermon, Mass. The institution dropped compulsory theological education in the early 1900s. The Northfield and Mount Hermon campuses consolidated in 2004 on the site of the Mount Hermon property six miles away in Gill, Mass., leaving the Northfield campus vacant and unused. NAMB, based in Alpharetta, Ga., works with Southern Baptist churches, associations and state conventions to impact North America for Christ through evangelism and church planting. --30-- Mickey Noah writes for the North American Mission Board. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- Online dating: marriages, sorrows, precautions By Elizabeth Reich/World on Campus Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38767 LEESBURG, Va. (BP) -- Joy Isaacs was bored and her married friend was curious, and that's why she signed up for eHarmony last January. At age 24, she liked being single and dreamed of ministry in Haiti after finishing her job commitment in Leesburg, Va. A man would disrupt all that. The whole online dating thing was absurd, anyway. But with her friend Katie Wilson prodding her, Isaacs agreed. They spent the whole afternoon answering profile questions. Isaacs is not alone, and the stereotype of online daters as desperate singles looking for love is rapidly fading. Millions of people around the world have joined online dating sites, secular and Christian alike. In a disconnected world, online dating lets singles seeking romantic relationships make connections with likeminded people outside their current circle of friends and acquaintances. But online dating also presents a set of challenges and risks different from the days when people typically met future spouses in school, church or the neighborhood. Technology can both isolate people from their communities and then fill the void it creates. As Neil Postman warned in Amusing Ourselves To Death, "the culture always pays a price for technology." eHarmony alone has more than 20 million members paying $60 a month to find love. It claims responsibility for nearly 5 percent of all marriages in the U.S., about 542 marriages every day. A Match.com survey claims that one in every five singles uses online dating sites and that 17 percent of married American couples met online. And it's big business. According to media research company IBISWorld, online dating pulled in an estimated $1.9 billion in profits in 2010. Isaacs and Wilson laughed as they scrolled through hundreds of eHarmony profiles recommended through the site's Compatibility Matching System. "We want to help you find the love of your life," eHarmony told her. The free trial ended but Isaacs' interest did not. "It's really hard to find a good Christian man," Isaacs said, and she saw no prospects at church or work. She prayed and signed up, paying $60 for a one-month subscription. "I was determined to get my money's worth," Isaacs told the WORLD on Campus news website. Every night after an exhausting day at work, she logged on to eHarmony to check for contacts and write guys back. Some men disqualified themselves, like the "ego-head" who sent a picture of himself shirtless. She often stayed up late, sitting with her laptop on the bathroom floor to avoid waking her sister, and gave close friends her password so they could help filter profiles and recommend guys. One night, Wilson sent Isaacs the profile of 26-year-old Andy Fritz from Gaithersburg, Md., who lived only 90 minutes away. "Joy, I like this guy -- he sounds solid," Wilson said. Isaacs took a look -- Fritz's profile listed "History of Librarianship in the 21st Century" as current reading -- and said no. She was already in contact with a dozen guys, including a seminary student from Michigan, a youth pastor in Delaware and a few others in her area. "All you know about them is online and what they tell you," Isaacs said. "A lot of guys appeared to be serious Christians." A few days later, however, Fritz sent her a "request for contact" with five multiple-choice questions to get to know her better. Fritz's first email was long, honest and detailed. He seemed funny and shared her values. Over email they talked about theology and their college educations (she had majored in social work, he in psychology). "The more I talked with Andy the less interested I was in the others," Isaacs said. Three weeks later, in early February, Isaacs and Fritz met up in the Lego store of a local shopping mall and went out for coffee. "People on paper might be nicer than in person," Isaacs said. "I thought it would be about 30 minutes -- we stayed until the mall closed." Fritz had been on eHarmony for six months as well as other dating sites in the past, and he was cautious. He wanted to enjoy a friendship and not get emotionally attached until they had gotten to know each other in person. Things moved rapidly from that point, much like a traditional long-distance relationship. They spent time with each other's friends, family and churches. They read books on relationships together. They married on Oct. 8, 2011. "It was kind of fast but we knew each other very well, who we were, believed the same things, and were headed in the same life direction," Isaacs said. Many online relationships, however, end badly. A 27-year-old teacher from northern Virginia dated a man online for three months. After she visited him in Florida for the first time, they got engaged. He had two kids from a previous marriage and anger issues. Her family and the man's own mother tried to talk her out of it, but a month later they were married. The teacher gave up everything and moved to Florida, only to find herself a few months later unexpectedly holding divorce papers and staring at a drained savings account. She returned to Virginia last month. WORLD on Campus agreed to withhold her name because she is still picking up the pieces of her life. To avoid this kind of disaster and to meet other believers who share their theological convictions, some are turning to the dozens of Christian sites springing up, such as Christiansingle.com, Christianmingle.com, Christiancafe.com, Christianlifestyle.com and Christiandatingforfree.com. But that's no guarantee, either. "The Internet is kind of seductive," said Dean Scott, founder of SovereignGraceSingles.com, "and you can create whatever you want to see, but that doesn't mean it is reality." Jonathan Narwold, an online dater, agreed. "You get to know someone for months online, and you think you know them well," Narwold said. "Then you meet them in person, and you learn that they're a different person than you thought them to be." Some Christians report, in fact, that unbelievers sometimes present themselves as Christians simply to find somebody nice. Scott advises users of his website to meet with other users in their region for fellowship and service projects. "It gives them opportunities to see people as they really are," he said. "In dating, it's easy to put your best foot forward, but in a group it is hard to be pretentious. "I strongly encourage involvement of parents, clergy or a godly friend," Scott added. Joy Fritz, the former Joy Isaacs, encourages online daters to set up an honest and accurate profile. "Be yourself, don't waste time trying to be who you think other people would want you to be," she said. "It's so weird to think it happened to me." --30-- Elizabeth Reich writes for WORLD on Campus (www.worldoncampus.com), a collegiate-oriented website of WORLD magazine (www.worldmag.com). Used by permission. -- End of story -- CULTURE DIGEST: Gender-specific events banned by school district By Staff Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38768 NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) -- A school district in Rhode Island banned father-daughter dances and mother-son baseball outings because the events are gender exclusive, drawing significant backlash and a call to change a state law. "I acknowledge many of these events have long traditions and for many parents these types of gender-based events are not an issue," Judith Lundsten, superintendent of Cranston Public Schools, wrote to school organizations. "However, this is a public school system and under no circumstances should we be isolating any child or their family from full participation in school activities and events based on gender," Lundsten wrote. The decision came in response to a complaint last May from the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of a single mother whose daughter could not attend a father-daughter dance because she did not have a father in her life. In addition to father-daughter dances, the school traditionally organized a mother-son outing to a Pawtucket Red Sox baseball game. Steven Brown, executive director of the Rhode Island ACLU, wrote in a statement Sept. 18 that parent-teacher organizations "remain free to hold family dances and other events, but the time has long since passed for public school resources to encourage stereotyping from the days of Ozzie and Harriet." "Not every girl today is interested in growing up to be Cinderella -- not even in Cranston," Brown wrote. "In fact, one of them might make a great major league baseball player someday." Cranston Mayor Allan Fung said Sept. 18 he was "utterly disappointed to have such a time-honored tradition under attack in the name of political correctness." "Traditions like this are what make up the fabric of our childhood memories and definitely contribute to the wellbeing of our children as a whole," the mayor said. Federal law exempts father-son and mother-daughter activities when banning discrimination, but in Rhode Island, the law could be interpreted to mean all school functions must be gender inclusive. Cranston School Committee chairwoman Andrea Iannazzi said the committee soon will consider a resolution asking lawmakers to modify state law to allow the school district to preserve father-daughter dances, according to the Providence Journal Sept. 19. 'BERLIN PATIENT' PROMOTES GENE THERAPY AIDS CURE -- The lone man who claims to have been cured of AIDS through gene therapy says he hopes others infected can be similarly treated, but doctors are still testing whether gene therapy can cure the disease. In the treatment, doctors would transplant stem cells from a donor with a certain cell feature that provides natural resistance to HIV infection. The treatment has not involved stem cells from embryos but from adults. Timothy Ray Brown, 46, of San Francisco, called "The Berlin Patient" because of where he was treated, appeared Sept. 12 at a gene therapy symposium at Washington University in St. Louis, accompanied by Gero Hutter, the doctor who treated him. While some doctors are skeptical Brown is cured, Brown and Hutter said the passage of time since the 2007 surgery and the fact Brown has not needed HIV drugs since his operation, further support he is cured, the Associated Press reported. Brown's case was first reported in 2008 and included in the New England Journal of Medicine the following year. While Brown says he feels great, doctors in California this year found traces of HIV in Brown's tissue. The discovery led to speculation that the disease had returned, but Brown said the traces are only remnants of HIV that cannot replicate nor cause a recurrence. Washington University's Biologic Therapeutics Center sponsored the symposium as part of its work to advance the use of gene therapy. Gene therapy has helped treat other diseases, including cancer and hemophilia, symposium speakers said. Brown is involved in a foundation named for him that seeks a cure for HIV. An estimated 1 percent of the northern European population has the particular cell feature that provides natural protection from HIV. VA. BOARD TOUGHENS RULES FOR ABORTION CLINICS -- Virginia abortion clinics will have to abide by more stringent building regulations to meet health and safety standards called for by a 2011 law, according to a new state agency decision. In a Sept. 14 meeting, the Virginia Board of Health voted 13-2 to require all abortion clinics to abide by the state's building standards for hospitals. The vote amounted to a reversal of the board's June decision to exempt existing clinics from the rules. After the Board of Health voted not to apply the law's standards to existing clinics, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli refused to certify the regulations. Cuccinelli's office announced in July the board did not have the authority to approve such rules. The law is the first in the country to mandate such regulations for clinics performing first trimester abortions. Upon the 2011 law's enactment, abortion rights advocates heavily criticized the standards. They alleged the guidelines, which included size requirements for hallways, might result in the closing of 17 of the state's 21 abortion clinics. Supporters of abortion expressed strong disapproval after the Board of Health's latest vote, but pro-life advocates commended the decision. "The hysterical claims of the abortion industry that today's vote denies access to health care are simply untrue. Today's decision simply requires the industry to clean up its act," said Victoria Cobb, the Virginia Family Foundation's president. "These centers can continue to offer any other service they provide even [if] they can't meet these reasonable guidelines. They simply have to stop performing surgery unless they meet these standards." Casey Mattox, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, said, "Abortion clinics should be held to the same health and safety standards as all other medical facilities. Their resistance to such standards exposes their real attitude toward women." The ACLU of Virginia criticized the board's actions, saying the regulations "will make abortions more expensive and more difficult to obtain particularly if some clinics are forced to close." All nine members of the board appointed by current Gov. Bob McDonnell voted for the regulations. Four appointees by former, pro-choice Gov. Tim Kaine approved the rules, while two of Kaine's appointees opposed them. The board's Sept. 14 vote came only two days after the Family Foundation released a report from the state's Department of Health that showed nine abortion clinics had received 80 citations, including for issues related to infection prevention, equipment and personnel. The permanent regulations approved by the board still must undergo review by the offices of the attorney general and governor before a public comment period and final decision by the Board of Health. Emergency regulations adopted last year for the law are now in effect. MO. LAWMAKERS OVERRIDE VETO OF RELIGIOUS FREEDOM BILL -- The Missouri legislature voted Sept. 12 to overturn a veto of legislation designed to protect the religious liberties of employers and employees against the contraceptive/abortion mandate included in the health care reform law supported by the Obama administration. The Senate voted 26-6 for the override, while the roll call in the House of Representatives was 109-45, according to the Associated Press. A two-thirds majority was required to overcome Gov. Jay Nixon's veto. The abortion-contraceptive mandate in the law commonly referred to as "Obamacare" requires all plans to cover contraceptives and sterilizations as preventive services without cost to employees under a federal rule announced in January. The mandate includes coverage of contraceptives that can cause abortions of tiny embryos. The rule regarding that mandate has a religious exemption critics find woefully inadequate and has elicited ardent opposition from church groups and religious freedom advocates. The new Missouri law protects employers and employees from being required to purchase health insurance that covers abortion, contraception or sterilization if doing so would clash with their religious or moral beliefs. After the successful override, Nixon, a Democrat running for re-election, said legislators who voted for the bill "are standing between women and their right to make their own personal decisions about birth control," AP reported. Rep. Sandy Crawford, a Republican who steered the measure through the House, said, "This bill is about protecting our religious liberties. This bill is about protecting businesses from the overreach of government." The Greater Kansas City Coalition of Labor Union Women filed a legal challenge to the law the same day and asked a judge to block its enforcement. OBAMA CALLS RICHARDS, THANKS PPFA FOR SUPPORT -- Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards recently provided another indication of President Obama's connection to the country's leading abortion provider. In a Sept. 10 tweet, Richards said, "Yesterday @BarackObama called to thank PP for all we're doing. He knows how important this election is for @PPFAQ patients. Let's win this!" Richards was one of 25 speakers at this month's Democratic National Convention who spoke in support of abortion rights. The Obama re-election campaign has referred to abortion in its television commercials more than that of any other major presidential candidate in history. Affiliates of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) reported performing 329,445 abortions in 2010, the most recent year for which statistics are available. PPFA and its affiliates, which are under investigation by a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee, received $487.4 million in government grants, contracts and reimbursements in 2009-10. 'VOTE PRO-LIFE FIRST INITIATIVE' SET THIS FALL -- Students for Life of America is leading a national campaign this fall to educate voters and recruit youth workers as part of its "I Vote Pro-life First Initiative." Working in conjunction with other pro-life organizations, Students for Life of America (SFLA) is urging Americans to sign a pledge committing to make the life issue the most significant one in their decision to vote for president and all other offices. SFLA hopes to educate 300,000 voters and find 1,200 young people to help motivate citizens to go to the polls. "If a candidate does not support the basic right to life, we believe they cannot be trusted to handle any other issue, fiscal or social, with honor and dignity," SFLA President Kristan Hawkins said. As part of the campaign, SFLA will kick off Sept. 17 a tour to university campuses in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. OFFICIAL URGES LOOSENING OF ASSISTED SUICIDE RESTRICTIONS -- Great Britain's new under-secretary of state for health wants anti-assisted suicide laws liberalized to allow family members and friends to help terminally ill patients kill themselves. "I think it's ridiculous and appalling that people have to go abroad to end their life instead of being able to end their life at home," Anna Soubry said, according to a United Press International report based on a Sept. 8 article in The Telegraph. While British laws call for a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison for assisted suicide, prosecutions are uncommon. Of 60 assisted suicide cases sent to prosecutors since 2009, only 18 have gone to trial. Prosecutors withdrew nine of those 18, according to the report. Soubry does not agree with permitting physicians to assist with suicides, she said. --30-- Compiled by Tom Strode, Erin Roach and Diana Chandler of Baptist Press. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: Why every Christian should register & vote By Sudi Kate Gliebe Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38770 FORT WORTH, Texas (BP) -- Two years ago my husband Steven and I started Patriots' Campaign Ministry. We approached our pastor with the vision to register voters at our church. It was not hard to convince him. His courage and patriotism were evident. So with our pastor's blessing we became deputy registrars and held our first voter registration drive before the 2010 primaries. This year we recruited another couple to become deputized and held a four-Sunday voter registration drive in the Spring. Next we sought our pastor's blessing to export the ministry to churches in our area. Once again, he gave us his unwavering support and wrote a letter to endorse our ministry. After dozens of emails and phone calls, a handful of churches invited us to come and hold registration drives. The churches that turned us down inspired me to write this article. Champion the Vote estimates that out of 60 million Christians in America, only 30 million vote or are even registered. Can you imagine the impact 30 million votes can have on a general election? Can you fathom the weight that 30 million votes would have on the issues of life, marriage, religious freedom and fiscal restraint? Think what would happen if 30 million believers embraced this truth: My vote counts. Clearly, however, these 30 million believers either don't care enough to vote or have never been taught the importance of voting. This is why pastors are so important. But before I share how pastors can encourage their congregations to get involved in the political process, let me give just two examples of why voting is so important. First, the value of life is the heartbeat of God and marriage is the nucleus of God's church. When government says the destruction of life is lawful and the definition of marriage expendable, the Kingdom of God is threatened and the church must say: no! Therefore, electing pro-life candidates that are committed to life and God's definition of marriage is a biblical and moral imperative. Second, the religious freedom we enjoy in America is not guaranteed. It must be defended and preserved. In fact, religious freedom in America is severely under attack. Therefore, electing candidates who are committed to defending religious freedoms in America is crucially important. Politics is not a hobby like scrapbooking. Getting involved should not be an option. Politics, whether we like it or not, affects every area of our lives. The stakes for families and ministry are very high. Here are five things pastors can do to make a difference: 1) Teach the congregation the importance of praying for God to raise righteous leaders to fill the White House, the Congress and the Supreme Court. Call out periods of fasting and prayer for this specific purpose. Create prayer guides and distribute them. 2) Preach boldly about the sanctity of life and the importance of honoring God's definition of marriage -- one man and one woman. These are biblical truths, not just political hot buttons. 3) Exhort the congregation to vote. "We the people" means that all of us are responsible to preserve our republic. The citizenry of America is enormously powerful. Remind the congregation that voting is a privilege, a responsibility, a sacred trust. 4) Encourage the formation of a task force at the church that has as its purpose to register voters, provide voter guides before elections, and inform the congregation about issues that matter so they can contact their representatives and senators. 5) Invite pastors in your circle of influence to get involved, share ideas, and establish partnerships with them. There is strength in numbers. In the fight for life, marriage and religious freedom, every vote counts and every pastor matters. Get started by visiting [URL=http://ChampionTheVote.com]ChampionTheVote.com[/URL]. "Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote that he is not making a present or a compliment to please an individual -- or at least that he ought not so to do; but that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country." --Samuel Adams --30-- Sudi Kate Gliebe is scheduled to graduate in December from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a Ph.D. in childhood education. She is a member of Southcliff Baptist Church, and she and her husband Steven reside in Benbrook, Texas. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- FIRST-PERSON: The Gospel of Jesus' Wife? When sensationalism masquerades as scholarship By R. Albert Mohler Jr. Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38769 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP) -- The whole world changed Sept. 18. At least, that is what many would have us to believe. Smithsonian magazine, published by the Smithsonian Institution, declares that the news released Tuesday was "apt to send jolts through the world of biblical scholarship -- and beyond." Really? What was this news? Professor Karen King of the Harvard Divinity School announced at a conference in Rome that she had identified an ancient papyrus fragment that includes the phrase, "Jesus said to them, 'My wife.'" Within hours, headlines around the world advertised the announcement with headlines like "Ancient Papyrus Could Be Evidence that Jesus Had a Wife" (The Telegraph). The Smithsonian article states that "the announcement at an academic conference in Rome is sure to send shock waves through the Christian world." The magazine's breathless enthusiasm for the news about the papyrus probably has more to do with advertising its upcoming television documentary than anything else, but the nation's most prestigious museum can only injure its reputation with this kind of sensationalism. A fragment of a text, an even more fragmentary argument What Karen King revealed on Tuesday was a tiny papyrus fragment with Coptic script on both sides. On one side the fragment includes about 30 words on eight fragmentary lines of script. The New York Times described the fragment as "smaller than a business card, with eight lines on one side, in black ink legible under a magnifying glass." The lines are all fragmentary, with the third line reading "deny. Mary is worthy of it," and the next reading "Jesus said to them, 'My wife.'" The fifth states, "she will be able to be my disciple." The papyrus fragment, believed to be from the fourth century, was delivered to Professor King by an anonymous source who secured the artifact from a German-American dealer, who had bought it years ago from a source in East Germany. As news reports made clear, the fragment is believed by many to be an authentic text from the fourth century, though two of three authorities originally consulted by the editors of the Harvard Theological Review expressed doubts. Such a find would be interesting, to be sure, but hardly worthy of the international headlines. The little piece of ancient papyrus with its fragmentary lines of text is now, in the hands of the media, transformed into proof that Jesus had a wife, and that she was most likely Mary Magdalene. Professor King will bear personal responsibility for most of this over-reaching. She has called the fragment nothing less than "The Gospel of Jesus' Wife" -- a title The Boston Globe rightly deemed "provocative." That same paper reported that Professor King decided to publicize her findings before additional tests could verify the fragment's authenticity because she "feared word could leak out about its existence in a way that sensationalized its meaning." Seriously? King was so concerned about avoiding sensationalism that she titled the fragment "The Gospel of Jesus' Wife"? This is sensationalism masquerading as scholarship. One British newspaper notes that the claims about a married Jesus seem more worthy of fans of Dan Brown's fictional work, "The Da Vinci Code," than "real-life Harvard professors." If the fragment is authenticated, the existence of this little document will be of interest to historians of the era, but it is insanity to make the claims now running through the media. Professor King claims that these few words and phrases should be understood as presenting a different story of Jesus, a different gospel. She then argues that the words should be read as claiming that Jesus was married, that Mary Magdalene was likely his wife. She argues further that, while this document provides evidence of Jesus' marital status, the phrases do not necessarily mean he was married. More than anything else, she argues against the claim that Christianity is a unified body of commonly held truths. Those familiar with Karen King's research and writings will recognize the argument. Her 2003 book, "The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle," argued that another text from the era presented Mary Magdalene as the very model for apostleship. A preference for heterodoxy The thread that ties all these texts and arguments together is the 1945 discovery of some 52 ancient texts near the town of Nag Hammadi in Egypt. These texts are known to scholars as Gnostic literature. The texts present heretical narratives and claims about Jesus and his message, and they have been a treasure trove for those seeking to replace orthodox Christianity with something different. Several ambitions drive this effort. Feminists have sought to use the Nag Hammadi texts to argue that women have been sidelined by the orthodox tradition, and that these Gnostic texts prove that women were central to the leadership of the early church, perhaps even superior to the men. Others have used the Nag Hammadi texts to argue that Christianity was a diverse movement marked by few doctrinal concerns until it was hijacked by political and ecclesiastical leaders, who constructed theological orthodoxy as a way of establishing churchly power in the Roman Empire and then stifling dissent. Still others argue that Christianity's moral prohibitions concerning sexuality, and especially homosexuality, were part of this forced orthodoxy which, they argue, was not the essence of true Christianity. More than anything else, many have used the Nag Hammadi texts as leverage for their argument that Christianity was originally a way of spirituality centered in the teachings of a merely human Christ -- not a message of salvation through faith in a divine Jesus who saves sinners through the atonement He accomplished in His death and resurrection. Professor King, along with Princeton's Elaine Pagels, has argued that the politically powerful leaders who established what became orthodox Christianity silenced other voices, but that these voices now speak through the Nag Hammadi texts and other Gnostic writings. Writing together, King and Pagels argue that "the traditional history of Christianity is written almost solely from the viewpoint of the side that won, which was remarkably successful in silencing or distorting other voices, destroying their writings, and suppressing any who disagreed with them as dangerous and obstinate 'heretics.'" King and Pagels both reject traditional Christianity, and they clearly prefer the voices of the heretics. They argue for the superiority of heterodoxy over orthodoxy. In the Smithsonian article, King's scholarship is described as "a kind of sustained critique of what she called the 'master story' of Christianity: a narrative that casts the canonical texts of the New Testament as a divine revelation that passed through Jesus in 'an unbroken chain' to the apostles and their successors -- church fathers, ministers, priests and bishops who carried these truths into the present day." King actually argues against the use of terms like "heresy" and even "Gnostic," claiming that the very use of these terms gives power to the forces of orthodoxy and normative Christianity. Nevertheless, she cannot avoid using the terms herself (even in the titles of her own books). She told Ariel Sabar of Smithsonian, "You're talking to someone who's trying to integrate a whole set of 'heretical' literature into the standard history." Orthodoxy and heresy: The continual struggle Those who use Gnostic texts like those found at Nag Hammadi attempt to redefine Christianity so that classic, biblical, orthodox Christianity is replaced with a very different religion. The Gnostic texts reduce Jesus to the status of a worldly teacher who instructs His followers to look within themselves for the truth. These texts promise salvation through enlightenment, not through faith and repentance. Their Jesus is not the fully human and fully divine Savior and there is no bodily resurrection of Christ from the dead. Were these writings found at Nag Hammadi evidence of the fact that the early church opposed and attempted to eliminate what it understood to be false teachings? Of course. That is what the church said it was doing and what the Apostles called upon the church to do. The believing church did not see heresy as an irritation -- it saw heterodoxy as spiritual death. Those arguing for the superiority of the Gnostic texts deny the divine inspiration of the New Testament and prefer the heterodox teachings of the Gnostic heretics. Hauntingly, the worldview of the ancient Gnostics is very similar, in many respects, to various worldviews and spiritualities around us today. The energy behind all this is directed to the replacement of orthodox Christianity, its truth claims, its doctrines, its moral convictions and its vision of both history and eternity with a secularized -- indeed, Gnositicized -- new version. Just look at the attention this tiny fragment of papyrus has garnered. Its few words and broken phrases are supposed to cast doubt on the New Testament and the doctrines of orthodox Christianity. A tiny little fragment which, even if authentically from the fourth century, is placed over against the four New Testament Gospels, all written within decades of Jesus' earthly ministry. "The Gospel of Jesus' Wife?" Not hardly. This is sensationalism masquerading as scholarship. Nevertheless, do not miss what all this really represents -- an effort to replace biblical Christianity with an entirely new faith. --30-- R. Albert Mohler is president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. This column first appeared at his website, AlbertMohler.com. Get Baptist Press headlines and breaking news on Twitter ([URL=http://www.Twitter.com/BaptistPress]@BaptistPress[/URL]), Facebook ([URL=http://Facebook.com/BaptistPress]Facebook.com/BaptistPress [/URL]) and in your email ([URL=http://baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp] baptistpress.com/SubscribeBP.asp[/URL]). -- End of story -- EDITORIAL: El Reto Hispano y Nuestra Parte By Gustavo Suárez Sep. 21 2012 http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=38771 NOTA DEL EDITOR: La columna First-Person (De primera mano) es parte de la edición de hoy de BP en español. Para ver historias adicionales, vaya a [URL=http://www.bpnews.net/espanol]http://www.bpnews.net/espanol[/URL] KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) -- Pelea la buena batalla de la fe, echa mano de la vida eterna, a la cual asimismo fuiste llamado, habiendo hecho la buena profesión delante de muchos testigos 1 Timoteo 6:12. La población Hispana ha experimentado crecimiento explosivo por muchos años. Los siguientes datos demográficos respalda esta declaración. Por ejemplo, -- los Estados Unidos tienen la segunda población Hispana en el mundo. Solo la población de Méjico es mayor (112 millones). -- 16 estados contienen una población hispana de por lo menos medio millón de habitantes. -- La población hispana en California aumento por 312,000 entre Julio 1, 2008 y Julio 1, 2009. Tejas y Florida siguieron en segundo y tercer lugar respectivamente. -- 25 es el número de estados en los Estados Unidos que tenían la minoría mayoritaria en 2011. Con este crecimiento numérico de la población y la aparente ausencia de recursos estamos entrando en un periodo crítico para las iglesias hispanas en la nación. Naturalmente, estados como California, Tejas, y la Florida todavía tienen un número de personas dedicadas al trabajo Hispano. Sin embargo, otros como el Noroeste, Nuevo Méjico, y alguno de los estados del Este, aunque la población continua creciendo, el personal misionero va menguando. En este artículo quiero presentar cinco argumentos positivos y sugerencias de lo que yo creo pudiera impactar la obra, y crecimiento de la iglesia Hispana resultando también en un crecimiento a la Convención Bautista. Como verán existe una interrelación entre cada una de las sugerencias. Primero, necesitamos una estructura general hispana de aspecto nacional. En el presente no tenemos una estructura que facilite el crecimiento de nuevas iglesias y el crecimiento y desarrollos de nuevos líderes. Si hab lamos de integrar más al pueblo hispano en el ambiente completo de la convención no tenemos la estructura que nos ayude a desarrollar líderes para el futuro. Segundo, necesitamos tener intencionalidad en nombrar personas hispanas calificadas. El hispano debe de llenar una posición no porque es hispano sino porque es la mejor persona para esa posición en ese momento. Tercero, necesitamos la facilidad de publicar libros escritos por hispano tanto para el pueblo hispano como también el anglosajón. Sabemos que las agencias publicadoras necesitan vender los libros que se escriben. También sabemos que libros hispanos, en este momento, no alcanzan el número necesario de ventas. Sin embargo, debemos descubrir avenidas donde se pueda publicar libros escritos por hispanos y para hispanos de un punto de vista conservador y Cristo céntrico. Cuarto, necesitamos que los seminarios tomen muy en serio proveer educación teológica a diferentes niveles para el pueblo hispano. El nivel de educación del hispano, comparados con otros grupos como los asiáticos, es más bajo. Por tanto, los seminarios deben de continuar siendo centros de instrucción teológica conservadora especialmente a un mundo hispano que ha vivido, y ha sido contaminado, por la teología católica y de la liberación. Nuestros seminarios deben de proveer diferentes niveles de educación teológica para hispanos con diferentes niveles de educación. Quinto, necesitamos tener un mejor entendimiento de la cultura hispana. Aunque la palabra "contextualización" la usamos con frecuencia no la entendemos. Por ejemplo, la traducción al español de un buen libro escrito por alguien muy conocido pierde mucho ya que la cultura y los modismos son difíciles, y a veces, imposibles de traducir. El reto demográfico hispano, la pasión evangelística y misionera de los Bautistas del Sur, y el mandato de la Gran Comisión nos presenta con un increíble reto que es: intencionalmente alcanzar, desarrollar y enviar al pueblo hispano como una fuerza misionera en Norte América HOY! Estas son algunas simples ideas prácticas de cómo dar pasos iniciales para sobrepasar los retos. Primero, relaciónate y participa activamente con los líderes de las asociaciones y de la convención estatal Bautista. Segundo, dirige a tu iglesia a participar financieramente a través del Programa Cooperativo. Esto es el mejor sistema de respaldar misiones globales y ayudar al crecimiento del Reino de Dios. Tercero, Cuenta la historia de lo que Dios está haciendo donde tu estas ahora. Recuerda, las personas les gusta leer historias de vidas transformadas. Cuarto, Anímate a seguir estudiando para que estés mejor preparado para el ministerio al cual Dios te llamo. Espero que Dios continúe usándote en tu campo misionero. ¡Adelante y muchas bendiciones! --30-- Gustavo Suárez es profesor de iniciación de iglesias y director del centro Nehemías para Iniciación de Iglesias en Norte América en el Seminario Bautista Teológic de Midwestern. -- End of story -- Copyright (c) 2013 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press 901 Commerce Street Nashville, TN 37203 Tel: 615.244.2355 Fax: 615.782.8736 email: bpress@sbc.net